Thursday, May 24, 2012

G.I. Retaliation was slated open June 29, but has moved out of its prime summertime slot in order to retrofit the film into 3-D. While the first film was a modest hit when it premiered back in 2009, I'm sure no one was exactly clamoring for a sequel, and the cynic in me rises a thought. Was this sudden transition, a mere month before its impending release a calculated strategy to milk every single 3-D-inflated dollar out of an inferior product, or perhaps a studio head getting ideas after an early screening. Either way, this doesn't appear a story that ends well creatively, more like a studio craving hard to earn coin in markets where 3-D hasn't been totally dismissed...the US box office is likely more irrelevant now than ever before.

In a swift movie, Universal's R-rated Ted, written and directed by Family Guy's Seth MacFarland swiftly moved into G.I. Joe's slot to take advantage of the pre-Fourth of July slot. Still even in Hollywood's movie making, this marks a fairly significant change of gears, especially considering the top money spent by Paramount (including a pricy Super Bowl commercial) spent by Paramount. Perhaps the bad taste left by Battleship's middling opening numbers made Hasbro want to create some distance. G.I. Joe: Retaliation is now slated for bow next March.